world news

Boris Johnson to replace 'stay home' message with 'stay alert' as he delivers lockdown 'road map' address to nation

Boris Johnson is to replace his "stay at home" slogan with a fresh rallying cry to the nation, as the battle against coronavirus rages on.




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Food For London Now faces: 'Anything you can spare will go towards helping those who might have lost everything'

Felix Project volunteer Ed Preston shares his story You can donate at virginmoneygiving.com/fund/FoodforLondonNOW




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Food For London Now faces: 'We need to use this Covid-19 crisis as a wake-up call to help those in need'

Christopher Evans-Gordon from Family Meals shares his story You can donate at virginmoneygiving.com/fund/FoodforLondonNOW




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Barack Obama describes Donald Trump's response to coronavirus as a 'chaotic disaster'

Former US president Barack Obama has criticised Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it an "absolute chaotic disaster".




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UK coronavirus LIVE: Boris Johnson to address nation on lockdown plan as new 'stay alert' slogan set to be rolled out

It comes as trade union leaders warn that they will not tell their members to return to work unless safety standards are improved. Mr Johnson is expected to urge employees who cannot do their jobs from home to begin returning to their workplaces while following social-distancing rules.




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Small tribes seal borders, push testing to keep out virus

On a dusty plaza in a Native American village that dates back nearly a millennium, a steady trickle of vehicles inched through a pop-up coronavirus testing site. The mandatory testing — under the threat of fines by the tribal council in Picuris Pueblo — was being performed by the state Health Department and U.S. Indian Health Service as they strive to identify potential infection hot spots and contain the virus that's ravaged other Native American communities. Small Native American pueblos across New Mexico are embracing extraordinary isolation measures that turn away outsiders as well as near-universal testing to try to insulate themselves from a contagion with frightening echoes of the past.





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Polar vortex brings rare May snow, low temps to US East

Mother’s Day weekend got off to an unseasonably snowy start in the Northeast on Saturday thanks to the polar vortex bringing cold air down from the north. John Cannon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said parts of northern New England saw as much as 10 inches of snow and even coastal areas of Maine and New Hampshire got a dusting.





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Artists donate free, uplifting images to the UN in pandemic response

The internet is a scary enough place as it is, and now with the added misinformation and panic surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, it's even scarier. Thanks to the United Nations and dozens of artists, however, the internet just got a little more beautiful.





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Syria reduces fuel subsidies as economic crisis deepens




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Separatists claim bomb attack that killed 6 Pakistani troops




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The week that was: A balance of economy and public health

As heads of state, local leaders, business owners and individual citizens weighed the costs of re-opening the global economy, fears of new outbreaks grew. A central question emerged: How much infection and loss of life will emerge amid the push to restart business? In Waterloo, Iowa, the virus is “devastating everything." The community is home to a meatpacking plant, and residents are worried it is becoming a vector for the virus.





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What you need to know today about the virus outbreak

Countries around the world are wrestling with how to ease curbs on business and public activity without having the coronavirus come surging back. Meanwhile some governors are seeking to bolster home-state production of vital medical supplies and protective equipment.





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Do not allow 'biased' election watchdog power to prosecute, say MPs

The election watchdog has revealed that it is pressing ahead with plans to hand itself powers to prosecute campaigners and political parties, putting itself on a collision course with ministers. The Electoral Commission is planning to publish a consultation setting out proposals to hand itself a "prosecutions capability", despite senior Tories insisting that the body is "not trusted to be impartial". The disclosure comes after the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it had ended investigations into Darren Grimes and Alan Halsall, two pro-Brexit campaign figures, two years after a referral by the commission for alleged breaches of spending rules. The move prompted calls for the commission to be "overhauled", with Mr Grimes describing the body as a "kangaroo court" that was not "fit for purpose". Separately, the National Crime Agency found no evidence that any criminal offences were committed by Arron Banks, another prominent Brexiteer, after another referral by the watchdog. Last night Matthew Elliott, who was chief executive of the official Vote Leave campaign, claimed that the commission's record showed that if it acquired the new powers, "there will be countless travesties of justice, and democracy will be undermined.” Sir Bernard Jenkin, the former chairman of the Commons public administration committee, said: "These proposals appear to be doubling down on a failed system. Parliament should change it." Another Conservative MP said: "I can't think of any public body that is less deserving of prosecuting powers than the Electoral Commission, who have shown themselves to be biased and, frankly, vindictive." Last year Jacob Rees-Mogg, now the leader of the Commons, and Brandon Lewis, who has also been appointed to Boris Johnson's cabinet, both expressed alarm at the watchdog's plans to hand itself powers currently exercised by the police and Crown Prosecution Service - after the move was revealed by this newspaper. The watchdog has faced repeated accusations of bias against bodies that campaigned for Brexit in 2016, which it strongly denies. The commission claims it could hand itself the powers without ministers bringing forward legislation, by altering its enforcement policy following a public consultation - due to open in the coming weeks. But MPs warned that some groups could be unfairly targeted. Speaking last year, while Tory chairman, Mr Lewis pointed out that one senior figure at the commission - the same official spearheading the proposals - had previously said that she would "not want to live under a Tory government". He suggested the body was not seen as a "fair" arbiter. As a backbencher, Mr Rees-Mogg called for the Conservatives to formally oppose the move, saying: "The Electoral Commission is not trusted to be impartial and a number of its leading figures have said very prejudicial things about Brexit." The commission's corporate plan for the period from 2020 to 2025 states: "To deter people from committing offences, and to make sure we can respond proportionally if they do, we will continue to build the capacity to prosecute suspected offences. We will consult on the way we approach the use of prosecutions." An Electoral Commission spokesman said: “Later this year we will be consulting with political parties, the police and the CPS on changes to our enforcement policy, which includes a prosecutions capability, and will bring our regulatory work in line with a wide range of other regulators. “Extending our work in this direction would enable us to bring lower order offences before the courts in a way which is swift and proportionate, freeing up the resources of the police and prosecutors and delivering more effective regulation of political finance to support public confidence.” Mr Elliott said: “The Electoral Commission’s track record at conducting investigations is woeful. "In the case of Leave campaigners ... they assumed that we were guilty until proven innocent ... Thankfully, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service looked at the evidence thoroughly, and saw through the conspiracy theories that the Electoral Commission had believed without question." The commission insisted it was "right that potential electoral offences are properly investigated by the appropriate authority". A spokesman said there was "no substance to allegations that the Commission is biased", saying the organisation had investigated campaigners and parties across the political spectrum.





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National parks visitors should plan for 'new normal'

After closing amid the coronavirus pandemic, the National Park Service is testing public access at several parks across the nation, including two in Utah, with limited offerings and services. Visitor centers and campgrounds remain largely shuttered at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, but visitors are welcome at some of the sites. Sullivan was on a day visit to hike the park’s Rim Trail and Bryce Amphitheater, two of the few hiking destinations currently open at Bryce.





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Libyan officials: Shelling at Tripoli's only working airport




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Obama lashes out at Trump in call with supporters

Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News. Obama also reacted to the Justice Department dropping its criminal case against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying he worried that the “basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.” Obama’s comments came during a Friday call with 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association, people who served in his administration.





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NY priest on virus front lines with embattled congregation

Raul Luis López never had the chance to say goodbye. The 39-year-old native of Oaxaca, Mexico, suffered from diabetes which worsened his illness. The day he left for treatment was the last time his wife, Sara Cruz, saw him.





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Cameroon's deadly mix of war and coronavirus

Fighting continues to rage in English-speaking parts of Cameroon after most armed groups reject a truce.





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In Japan, pandemic brings outbreaks of bullying, ostracism

The coronavirus in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least for medical workers. When Arisa Kadono tested positive and was hospitalized in early April, she was only identified as a woman in her 20s in food business.





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Iranians fearful as virus infections rise anew

While many residents in Iran's capital are taking advantage of loosened COVID-19 controls, some worry about a new spike in infections in what remains the Middle East's deadliest virus epicentre. The government began paring back coronavirus controls outside Tehran on April 11, arguing that the economy -- already sagging under punitive US sanctions -- needed to get back to bare bones operations. It allowed small businesses to reopen in the capital a week later, before permitting malls to welcome customers on April 21 and barbers on Wednesday.





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Virus prevents diaspora Venezuelans from sending money home

After fleeing Venezuela along with millions of others amid the country's grueling humanitarian crisis, Misael Cocho made his way by bus to Peru — where he got odd jobs and sent money home monthly to support his mother and his 5-year-old son. The pandemic's economic fallout left many Venezuelans abroad and the relatives back home who rely on them in dire straits.





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Virus cases rise in China, South Korea; Obama bashes Trump

Both China and South Korea reported new spikes in coronavirus cases on Sunday, setting off fresh concerns in countries where local outbreaks had been in dramatic decline. Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster,” while U.S. states began gradually reopening, even as health officials are anxiously watching for a second wave of infections. China reported 14 new cases on Sunday, its first double-digit rise in 10 days.





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Taliban say they don't have missing US contractor

Taliban leaders searched their ranks, including in the much-feared Haqqani network, and on Sunday told The Associated Press they are not holding Mark R. Frerichs, a Navy veteran turned contractor who disappeared in Afghanistan in late January. “We don't have any information about the missing American,” Sohail Shaheen, the Taliban's political spokesman, told the AP. A second Taliban official familiar with the talks with the United States said “formally and informally” the Taliban have notified U.S. officials they are not holding Frerichs.





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Iran Is Losing Its Grip in Iraq




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Virus delay, early ice melt challenge Arctic science mission

Now dozens of scientists are waiting in quarantine for the all-clear to join a year-long Arctic research mission aimed at improving the models used for forecasting climate change, just as the expedition reaches a crucial phase. News of the pandemic caused jitters among those already on board, said Matthew Shupe, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado and co-leader of the MOSAiC expedition. The rest of the crew will be exchanged with the help of two other German research ships that will meet the Polarstern on the sea ice edge.





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Pakistan police: Cross border firing from India kills woman




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French parents anguish over sending children back to school

As France prepares to start letting public life resume after eight weeks under a coronavirus lockdown, many parents are deeply torn over a question without a clear or correct answer: Should I send my child back to school? The French government is easing some of the closure and home-confinement orders it imposed March 17 to curb infections, with businesses permitted to reopen, residents cleared to return to workplaces and schools welcoming some students again starting Monday. Only preschools and elementary schools are set to start up at first, and classes will be capped at 10 students at preschools and 15 elsewhere.





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Jumbo jet sunset: coronavirus hastens the end of the Boeing 747

Stricken carriers are grounding their ageing, four-engined giants as cash runs out

When Sir Richard Branson marked the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic in 2009, he and the model Kate Moss posed on the wing of a Boeing 747. This symbol of the jet age was the only option for the billionaire showman. But a decade later, the plane has become a symbolic casualty of the chaos engulfing the airline industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Virgin Atlantic said it would retire all seven of its 747s.

More than 1,500 of the jumbo jets have been delivered over the 52 years it has been in service, but analysts say the savage decline in passenger traffic as governments seek to contain the spread of Covid-19 could hasten the decline of the plane, heralding an ignominious end for the so-called Queen of the Skies.

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The world's top 10 new architecture projects

Making a virtue out of global lockdown, our critic takes a virtual tour of the world’s best new architecture projects – from a rural Vietnamese preschool to a Belgian folly and a synagogue in Paraguay

It’s a good principle that, except in exceptional circumstances, architecture critics see the buildings that they review. You wouldn’t want a food critic to recommend a restaurant based on photographs of loaded plates, nor a theatre critic to base their judgments on films of performances. You’re meant to sniff, feel and sense the things you describe, to experience them in the round.

There’s a downside to this good principle, which is that buildings don’t come to you, and that many fine works are done all over the world which it would be absurdly expensive and eco-reckless to visit. Circumstances are, what’s more, what can only be described as exceptional. Given that almost everywhere is now almost equally inaccessible, whether another county or another continent, I’ve decided to make an opportunity out of a problem, and to offer a world tour of the very best new architecture, as seen through the portal of a laptop.

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Brazilian court lifts restrictions on gay and bisexual men giving blood

Supreme court decision hailed as victory for LGBT community

Brazil’s supreme court has overturned rules that limit gay and bisexual men from donating blood in a decision considered a human rights victory for LGBT+ people in the country.

The move came as more nations review restrictions on blood donations imposed during the 1980s HIV/Aids crisis, with some countries applying blanket bans, some have waiting periods after gay sex, and others – like Italy – having no limitations.

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Anatomy of a cruise: how the Ruby Princess came to dock and disembark with coronavirus

The inquiry into the management of the ship’s arrival in Sydney in March has revealed a detailed timeline of who knew what and when

A special commission of inquiry has held five days of hearings into the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which has so far has been linked to 21 deaths and almost 700 cases of Covid-19 across Australia.

The inquiry, overseen by Bret Walker SC, had two days of hearings on 22 and 23 April, and then three days of hearings this week.

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Richard Ford: 'I didn't finish a book until I was 19'

The Pulitzer prize winner on the freedom that comes with age, how he reinvented his writing life and overcoming childhood dyslexia

Richard Ford, 76, is a novelist whose particular feat has been to translate failure into literary success: he writes about human beings and their disappointments with unfailing insight and, while he never mocks his characters, is keenly aware of the absurdity involved in being alive. His best-known novels are about Frank Bascombe, sportswriter turned real estate agent. His novel Independence Day won the Pulitzer prize in 1996. He lives in Maine, teaches English at Columbia and his new collection of short stories, Sorry for Your Trouble, is exemplary in its nuanced understanding of the relationships between men and women.

Your stories explore choice and the rogue ways life behaves. Do people have a choice about who they fall in love with? And what part does luck play?
I think about both these questions. I was the luckiest man in the world when I met Kristina back in 1964 – I’ve been married to the same girl for 52 years. Yet throughout that long period, you choose all over again. I used to tell Kristina, “I choose to be married to you every day.”

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Should I wear a mask when I'm exercising outside?

It’s important to get fresh air and exercise – but do we need to wear masks while running, walking and cycling? We asked some experts

To mask or not to mask while getting fresh air is the question many of us are asking ourselves. According to the CDC, we should wear masks in “areas of significant community-based transmission”, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. While the CDC doesn’t list the outdoors as a high-density space, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s OK to exercise outdoors mask-free.

Related: Quarantine is perfect for discovering the beauty and power of boredom

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Pass judgment on Adele's talent, not on how much she weighs | Barbara Ellen

It’s depressing that the singer’s new skinny look matters more to some than her extraordinary voice

It seems that Adele’s weight is fast becoming a feminist issue, although not in the way people usually mean. Last year, images of the singer’s extreme weight loss rocked the world. When she released a photo to mark her 32nd birthday last week, the internet exploded all over again. Some people thought her new look was great; others considered it a (whisper it) betrayal. Some accused her of having a gastric band; others bitched that she would soon pile it all back on again. “She looks good.” “She looks bad.” “She looks weird.” And on it goes.

Adele isn’t new to this: her weight was also discussed (admiringly, critically, endlessly) before she lost it. In the modern musical landscape, where female artists specifically are viciously pressured to be perma-slim, the message seemed to be that she was one of those rare talents who were “allowed” to be bigger. At other times, the focus on her weight verged on patronising and reductive, as though her BMI-based “relatability” was the main draw and her talent a poor second.

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The Observer view on the world needing the United Nations more than ever

Seventy-five years after VE Day, the pandemic is a sharp reminder of the urgency of international co-operation

Franklin D Roosevelt did as much as anyone to ensure the allied victory 75 years ago. Following Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and Nazi Germany’s declaration of war four days later, the US president willingly joined the fight, able at last to overcome isolationist opposition in Congress and answer Winston Churchill’s pleas to formally take Britain’s side.

Yet biographers suggest the defeat of fascism took second place in Roosevelt’s mind to the postwar creation of an international organisation guaranteeing future global peace and security. At a White House meeting with Churchill that same month, they agreed that their new alliance, incorporating the Soviet Union and other anti-Axis countries, should be named the “United Nations”.

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Covid-19: isolated and alone, Britain has become the sick man of Europe

The disasters of Trump, Brexit and coronavirus have been made all the worse by our weak and incompetent leaders


Britain is in a lonely place right now. It resembles the scene of a bad traffic accident where shocked passers-by look away with pity and horror in their eyes. Alarmed by what they see, governments around the world practise their own form of social distancing. Once again, Britain is the sick man of Europe.

Lethal mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic is not the sole reason for this un-splendid isolation. The disease’s sudden onslaught is the third national disaster in almost as many years. The first was the decision to walk away from Europe. The second was the advent of Donald Trump and his anarchic America First agenda.

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Can I visit my family or parents for Mother's Day? Australia’s coronavirus lockdown rules and restrictions explained

Can you get takeaway coffee with a friend? What about visiting your family or parents for Mother’s Day? Laws to stop spread of Covid-19 seem to change daily and in some states carry a big fine. Untangle them with our guide

Australia is well into its second month of Covid-19 lockdowns and every state enforcing physical distancing laws slightly differently.

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A rise in retail sales is normally good news. But this is not normal and clearly not sustainable | Greg Jericho

A 24% jump in Australian supermarket sales in March was panic buying in a pandemic, and we all did it

When the monthly retail figures come out, no one generally cares too much about food retailing. It is the most boring of the retail categories and doesn’t really tell us much about how the economy is travelling.

While the amount we spend at restaurants and on household goods is a good indicator of how secure we feel about our income, the level we spend at grocery stores barely moves up or down – on average it shifts about half as much as the other categories.

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How we stay together: 'We’ve been quite heavy risk-takers in some ways'

Celia and Richard Craig moved to the other side of the world for each other – twice – and after 30 years have no plans to slow down

Names: Celia and Richard Craig
Years together: 30
Occupations: Musicians

When Celia Craig travelled to Australia in 1989, her plan was to call things off with Richard, the clarinetist she’d met while they were studying music at the University of York two years earlier. She was English, he was Australian and they’d been exchanging letters in the time they’d been apart – ostensibly just as friends but with “a lot of flirting going on”.

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Apropos of Nothing review – Woody Allen's times and misdemeanours

Dropped by the original publisher after a staff protest, the film-maker’s autobiography can be brutally honest but also a bore, and neither he nor Mia Farrow come out of it well

Though I see what he was getting at, I don’t quite agree with Hilaire Belloc, who once wrote that just as omelettes are either admirable or intolerable, and nothing in between, so it is with autobiography. Most memoirs, alas, struggle over the same things: fame, for instance, is often less interesting (or perhaps simply harder to describe) than the struggle to achieve it; the central irony of autobiography is that it’s far easier to be truthful about other people than it is to be honest about oneself. Such books tend, then, to be patchy: utterly delicious at times, but at other moments, stodgy and in need of seasoning.

If Woody Allen’s Apropos of Nothing was an omelette, you’d scoff down two-thirds of it pretty smartish, I think, after which – sated, to a degree – you’d mournfully scrape what remained on your plate into the bin. Later, you might be troubled by a hint of indigestion; even a little light queasiness. But in the morning, contemplating the Alka-Seltzer, I’m not sure you would be full of regret, let alone inclined to avoid omelettes for life. What I’m trying to say is that Allen’s autobiography is a mixed bag. If he can write (obviously, he can), and if he is, at points, surprisingly honest (eye-poppingly so, on occasion), then he can also be a bore and a self-deceiver. Of course, if you’re one of those who, disgusted by what you regard as his moral failings, has vowed never to watch Annie Hall or Manhattan again, then you’re unlikely to want to embark on Apropos of Nothing in the first place – and fair enough, that’s up to you. But I’m not in that camp. Nor can I comment on Allen’s alleged abuse of his adoptive daughter, Dylan, a crime of which he was first accused in 1992 (two police investigations into this have come to nothing). What I will say, however, is that I regard it as both disgraceful and alarming that Hachette, his original publisher, gutlessly dropped his book following a walkout by some of its staff – and that though I was sometimes repulsed by it myself, I was also fascinated, even entertained. So, shoot me. Again, that’s your choice.

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The ultimate quiz from this week in sports history | Jonathan Howcroft

There might not have been any live sport to enjoy over the past week but it was a memorable one in history. See how much you can recall from the week ending 10 May

Forerunner of the modern AFL, the VFL hosted its first round of matches on 8 May 1897, but who took home the competition’s inaugural premiership?

Melbourne

Geelong

Collingwood

Essendon

Perhaps the greatest ODI batsman in history was born on 8 May 1970, but which of these statements about Michael Bevan is true?

First Canberra-born cricketer to represent Australia

First man to play 300 ODIs

First man to retire with an ODI average above 60

A man who took his nickname “The Finisher” to such extremes he was always the first to clear his plate during team meals

Wally Lewis claimed his final State of Origin man of the match award on 8 May 1991, but on how many occasions was the Emperor of Lang Park considered best afield in his 31 Origin appearances?

31

20

12

8

The tennis circuit should be in the middle of the European clay season right now, counting down to Roland Garros and Ash Barty’s defence of the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. But can you remember who the Queenslander beat in last year’s French Open final?

Simona Halep

Naomi Osaka

Markéta Vondroušová

Amanda Anisimova

Mark Williams won his third world snooker title on 7 May 2018, 15 years after his second, but during his celebrations, how did he honour a bet he had made at the beginning of the tournament?

By appearing at his post-win press conference nude

By taking a midnight dip in the nearby River Don

By reciting Hamlet’s soliloquy in the middle of one of England’s most important regional theatres

By retiring

Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City have only met once in an A-League finals contest, and it happened on 8 May 2015 with Victory romping home 3-0. What was the official attendance that night?

60,873

50,873

40,873

30,873

Australian boxing great Lionel Rose died on 8 May 2011, but at what weight did he hold the lineal world title?

Flyweight

Bantamweight

Featherweight

Lightweight

Leicester City lifted the Premier League trophy on 7 May 2016, becoming the unlikeliest champions in the competition’s history. The presentation ceremony featured a spine-tingling rendition of Nessun Dorma from which tenor?

Andrea Bocelli

Placido Domingo

Luciano Pavarotti

Bryn Terfel

The Super Netball season was supposed to get underway last weekend with which side defending their premiership?

NSW Swifts

Sunshine Coast Lightning

Melbourne Vixens

Collingwood Magpies

Andrew McLeod made the first of his 340 AFL appearances for Adelaide on 5 May 1995, but who traded the dual Norm Smith medallist a few months earlier, without him ever pulling on that club’s guernsey?

Brisbane

Port Adelaide

Fremantle

West Coast

With just three seconds remaining in the deciding fifth game of the first round of the 1989 NBA playoffs Michael Jordan nailed “The Shot”. But who did the Chicago Bulls eliminate in such dramatic fashion on 7 May 31 years ago?

Boston Celtics

New York Knicks

Philadelphia 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Australia began their campaign to secure a maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on 6 May 2010 with a group match against England. Both teams finished 104 all out, and both ended the super over six for two. How was the result decided?

Coin toss

Fewest extras

Most sixes

Points shared

The eyes of the football world were trained on Milan on 6 May 1970 to witness which Dutch side become the first to lift the European Cup?

Ajax

Feyenoord

PSV Eindhoven

FC Twente

The magical four-minute barrier for the mile was broken by Roger Bannister on 6 May 1954 in Oxford, but whose record did he overhaul to set the new mark?

John Landy

Herb Elliott

Peter Snell

Gunder Hägg

Dan Christian was born on 4 May 1983. A successful all-rounder at first-class and 50-over level, Christian has made the T20 franchise circuit his own. How many professional teams (states, counties and franchises) has he represented during his career?

17

12

8

5

13 and above.

Congratulations. Top of the class

10 and above.

You've been immersed in nostalgic re-runs, haven't you?

7 and above.

No disgrace in being average

4 and above.

Plenty of room for improvement

0 and above.

Perhaps use isolation to read up on some history?

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Grinding away: 11 ways to reuse leftover coffee grounds

If you’ve been making more coffee at home lately, there are plenty of uses for your daily brew’s remnants – from composting to cleaning

Coffee is good for more than just waking you up in the morning. Before you toss used grounds, consider putting them to use in the garden, around the house, or in bath and body products.

Repel garden pests
Sprinkle grounds liberally around your plants, or the perimeter of your garden, to deter pests such as ants, slugs, and snails.

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Kylie Moore-Gilbert feels abandoned by Australia, sources in Iranian prison say

Academic has reportedly told other prisoners she is outraged at the government’s handling of her imprisonment

British-Australian woman Kylie Moore-Gilbert is despairing at her isolation inside Tehran’s Evin prison, believing she has been abandoned to her decade-long sentence, according to sources within the prison.

Political prisoner Moore-Gilbert, who has spent more than 600 days inside the notorious Ward 2A of Tehran’s Evin prison, much of it in solitary confinement, was convicted in a secret trial and sentenced to 10 years prison on charges of espionage.

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Queensland deputy premier Jackie Trad resigns ministerial duties amid integrity probe

Health minister Steven Miles has been appointed deputy premier, while Cameron Dick will take on the role as treasurer

Jackie Trad has resigned from the Queensland government cabinet after standing down on Saturday following a second probe into her integrity.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement on Sunday, following the news the Crime and Corruption Commission was investigating Trad for the second time in 12 months.

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Factional flareup: can Gladys Berejiklian keep her unruly ministers focused on the main game?

The NSW premier is trying to project a sense of order during Covid-19 but the men in her team are indulging in a kind of sabotage

Since well before Christmas the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has been dealing with crises: first the drought, then bushfires that ravaged her state, then the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected everyone.

Every morning at 8am Berejiklian fronts the media for her Covid-19 briefing, trying to project a sense of calm, order and empathy, urging the people of NSW to stick with the restrictions.

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Global report: Anthony Fauci and two other White House Covid-19 taskforce members to self-quarantine

Fauci and heads of CDC and FDA potentially exposed to coronavirus; Boris Johnson to announce UK lockdown changes

Three members of the White House coronavirus taskforce have placed themselves in self-quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. It comes as the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, prepares to unveil his “roadmap” to a new normality in a national broadcast and global infections pass four million.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, are all expected to work remotely due to potential exposure to Covid-19.

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'Time to click reset': coronavirus offers chance to end Australia's welfare wars

The doubling of jobseeker was the biggest change to social security in decades. Now experts want the government to push aside ideology and establish a permanent equitable safety net

This is the third in our series on Life after lockdown, which looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could change Australia for good

What does Australia owe Racheal Wellman, just 23? What are her chances in this country now, and as Australia begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic?

Wellman worked as a barista 25 to 30 hours a week in a St Kilda cafe. It was a casual job, so no paid holidays, no sick pay, no job security. But it was “fantastic”, she says, especially after being unemployed for a time, couchsurfing at friends’ houses and sometimes sleeping rough at Flinders Street station.

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Lessons learned: what Australia needs to do to avoid a second Covid-19 wave

Experts say to prevent future outbreak clusters, workers need to have job safety if they are feeling sick and unable to work

Improvements in communication, personal protective equipment training, initial infection responses and social distancing have emerged as key areas of improvement if Australia is to avoid a second wave of coronavirus infections after lockdowns ease.

While the government has linked the uptake of its Covidsafe tracing app to a return to normal, the chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, in April identified the bolstering of health authorities’ ability to respond to and contain localised clusters as an essential step to reassessing measures.

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NSW warns ‘complacency biggest threat’ as most states move to ease Covid-19 restrictions

Victoria only state to retain strict rules, as cafes, playgrounds and pools set to reopen across country

Victoria is the only state not to have announced an easing of coronavirus restrictions as New South Wales signals it will relax its laws from Friday and Western Australia declares most people will be able to return to work from Monday week.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the easing of restrictions on Sunday, increasing the number of visitors permitted in private residences from two to five, allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10, and up to 10 dine-in patrons at cafes and restaurants, provided each patron has 4 sq metres of space. The use of outdoor pools, gym and play equipment will also be permitted.

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Coronavirus Australia updates live: anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne as NSW and WA set to ease Covid-19 restrictions – latest news

Cafes and restaurants will reopen for limited numbers of people as part of a relaxation of Covid-19 rules in both states. Follow all the latest news, live

We will leave our live Australian coverage there for the day. You can follow our rolling global coverage here or read a summary here.

Here’s how things stand in Australia:

South Australia has established a rapid response team to deal with any coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes.

Twenty-seven of the 97 people to die in Australia after testing positive to Covid-19, died in nursing homes.

The dedicated SA Pathology team has been assembled to provide greater protection for some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

If an outbreak occurs, the team will immediately test everyone in the facility, helping to quickly identify cases, limit the spread and protect both residents and staff.

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